The present invention relates to a thermal line printer that uses a thermal line print head to transfer character or image information to a sheet of paper.
Conventionally, a printer using a page-width line print head is able to print a full width of a page without mechanically moving the print head. Page-width line print heads are sometimes of the thermal type, which allow a quiet, inkless operation. However, conventional thermal ink print heads require prepared paper, usually thermo-sensitive paper, or two-ply paper having a peel-off transfer sheet bearing a thermo-sensitive substance. It is usually impossible to use untreated or ordinary paper in a thermal line printer.
If a printer, thermal or otherwise, has an inking ribbon enabling the use of untreated ordinary paper, then the inking ribbon is conventionally is stored in cassette or cartridge form. The ribbon cartridge typically has a supply side for unused ribbon, and a collection side to collect used ribbon. The necessity of achieving synchronization of the ink ribbon feed rate with the paper feed rate, while simultaneously ensuring proper feeding and collection, often results in a complicated feeding mechanism. Furthermore, the bulky ribbon cartridge is conventionally housed within the body of the printer, adding to the overall volume and weight of the printer along with the ribbon supply area, discharge area, feeding mechanism, and cassette housing.